What are the best simulation games to play on the go? Simulation games come in a wide range of shapes and forms, offering a heap of different experiences and a great level of escapism. Whether you want to start your own farm, see what it's like to live life as a trucker, or wash every square inch of Squidward's house, there's something for you.
Here, we gather all our top picks for the best simulation games on all the best handheld consoles, including the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, Android, and iOS. So let's dive right in.
Here are the best simulation games:
Two Point Hospital
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
On the slightly more stressful end of the spectrum, from the creators of PC classics like Theme Hospital, comes the spiritual successor, Two Point Hospital. A wacky title where you manage your hospital and the many weird ailments of each patient, it's up to you to carefully balance the books and expand your health care empire.
With all of the charm of the originals and a lot of modern bells and whistles, Two Point Hospital is a deeply satisfying game that you can lose hours to. And, if you love it and want even more, Two Point Campus and Two Point Museum are also excellent simulation games, offering plenty of challenges and heaps of room for fun and creativity in different settings.
Stardew Valley
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Taking inspiration from games is one thing, but to use that inspiration and improve on classic games in every way? That takes something special. Stardew Valley is clearly inspired by classic games like Harvest Moon, but lone developer ConcernedApe has somehow created one of the most relaxing and aesthetically pleasing virtual worlds to ever exist. After escaping from the big city, your character must build up a farm and try to improve the town of Stardew Valley while making friends with its many citizens.
You can build the farm of your dreams over time, though it might take a few seasons, and you can even find a partner to settle down with. This satisfying simulation game nails everything good about the genre, while also offering a staggering number of ways to customize both your farm and your home.
Make sure you give our 10/10 Stardew Valley review a read if you're not quite sold yet.
Dredge
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Dredge is a truly unique fishing simulator with a deep, dark undercurrent. It sees you take to the waters as a long fisherman, dredging the deep to pull up different creatures and materials that you then sell or use to upgrade your boat. Along the way, you come across a variety of quirky characters and long-buried secrets, making it clear that you never really knows what lies below.
With overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, multiple award nominations, and a highly dedicated playerbase, there's no doubt that this sinister yet relaxing little gem deserves a solid spot on this list - but if you want to read more before you decide to take the plunge, you can check out our Dredge preview.
Civilization VI
Handheld platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Making the jump from PC to consoles with relative ease, this iconic entry in the classic franchise looks and runs great on handheld consoles, and touch controls make it a breeze to organize and command your forces. You can build an empire and take over the world, if you've ever dreamt about conquering like Genghis Khan, this is the safest and probably funniest way to do it.
This version has all of the same content as other releases, packed onto the handheld device, and even offers a swathe of DLC options in case you burn through the main game quickly.
We have a comprehensive Civilization VI tier list to help you win your next game.
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Handheld platforms: Steam Deck and Windows handhelds
While a game about driving trucks may not sound like the most exciting experience at first, Euro Truck Simulator 2 is one of the best-rated simulation games on Steam for good reason. It invites you to travel across Europe as the king of the road, exploring an open world full of dozens of cities and stunning scenery, as you carry important cargo across impressive distances.
The game's been around for over a decade, but thanks to an incredibly dedicated dev team providing consistent updates and DLC, it still feels as fresh as ever, and can easily provide hours upon hours of enjoyment. It even boasts an eight-player Convoy multiplayer mode, allowing you to team up with your friends and dominate the roads.
Euro Truck Simulator 2 is absolutely brilliant on the Steam Deck, bringing the wide open spaces of Europe to the palms of your hands, and there's even a demo for you to try out if you're not quite sold yet. After giving it a shot, we're sure you'll love it as much as the rest of us do.
Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch
A sim with a slimy difference. Find, capture, and manage a huge collection of slimes, and then use their… droppings to make money. Slime Rancher is a great game for both exploration and management, as you spend as much time exploring the map as you do managing your slimes and earning money to purchase new abilities and equipment.
Building up your slime army and creating a huge farm to house them is immensely satisfying, and there's so much to find and unlock that you'll enjoy this title for days. The Switch port contains absolutely everything that other versions do, and runs smoothly as well, so this is a perfect way to experience the charming slime-filled adventure. Alternatively, the original version is also playable on Steam Deck, though Steam lists it as having a few issues with some functionality and icons on the handheld PC.
Graveyard Keeper
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
If you like the sound of a game like Stardew Valley but with a touch of the macabre, Graveyard Keeper brings a lot of charm with a dark sense of humor, as you manage your own graveyard and make unethical decisions to try and save a few more bucks.
Why use hot dog meat when you have a fresh supply of… something else? Do these bodies need all that blood… maybe sell it on? It's a funny game with a dark take on capitalism, all wrapped around a great little management sim. If Stardew is too sweet for you, this could be the perfect alternative.
Graveyard Keeper is a fabulous time on the Nintendo Switch and, while Steam has it listed as 'playable' on Steam Deck due to initial resolution hiccups on first launch, we can promise you that we've spent plenty of hours playing this one on Valve's handheld PC, and it runs like a dream.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's niche simulation franchise became a worldwide smash when it landed on Switch in March 2021 with a certain amount of serendipity, it went on to sell over 47 million copies. Manage your own island and befriend animal villagers in this gorgeous and cozy little world. Animal Crossing: New Horizons expands the formula by letting you decorate almost anywhere on your island, and customize more than ever before. You can also use resources and DIY recipes to craft countless items, so you can make your island the perfect expression of your own creativity. Or if you're like me, you can forget about it for eight months and dump half your items on the floor.
The DLC Happy Home Paradise lets you decorate an idyllic holiday home for your favorite villagers and unlock new furniture by doing so. You can also meet fan-favorites like Brewster the coffee-loving pigeon and those weird little items, the Gyroids, so with all this in one package, there's never been a better time to dive in. Don't forget you can share the fun with friends and visit their islands as well, so with so much to offer, this could be the only game you need.
Check out our full Animal Crossing: New Horizons review for more information.
Spiritfarer
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
The "cozy management-sim about death", Spiritfarer has you playing as a young girl called Stella who must manage a boat on the River Styx, and help restless souls to pass over to the beyond. You curate your boat to be the perfect home for each passenger and help them manage their affairs by exploring the game's map. It's also got a beautiful animated art style that brings this somber tale to life like a children's storybook, with an emotive and gorgeous soundtrack helping bring extra personality to each moment.
Somehow, Spiritfarer manages to balance being a great management game as you build up your boat and your abilities, while also offering a heartfelt tale of loss and redemption to each and every guest you have. Be prepared to cry, as this is truly a story about death, but it offers so much hope and fun that it might make you just as happy as it does sad. You can check out our Spiritfarer review for even more reasons to play, and then check out our interview with Spiritfarer's creative director to discover more about the title's influences and impact since release.
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch
A strange but satisfying chimera of a game, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is part management-sim, part building game, and somehow part RPG all in one package. If that sounds like a lot of disparate elements, they're actually woven perfectly together with a great story that picks up after the original Dragon Quest 2. Explore different islands and bring peace to the world by helping people rebuild villages devastated by demons.
This is a meaty adventure with some great twists and turns, that also offers so much satisfying gameplay when you return to your own island and build up the perfect little village for all the vagrants and vagabonds you pick up on your quest. There's a heap of fan service for anyone who loves the Dragon Quest games, but even newcomers will enjoy this breezy story and the deep, satisfying mechanics that feel almost limitless once you start experimenting.
It hasn't had quite the impact as Animal Crossing, but this epic adventure deserves to be mentioned in the same breath, as while it does things differently, it also improves on a lot of the building elements in amazing ways. Dragon Quest Builders 2 also has a lengthy ten-hour demo that carries over your data if you purchase the game, so if you're even the slightest bit interested, it's worth giving it a shot. It's also worth mentioning that the first couple of hours are a slog (sorry, but I hate that pirate ship section), but as someone who's spent over 100 hours with the title, I promise you it's worth persevering!
Cat Cafe Manager
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
If we weren't game journalists, we'd probably be setting up a small cafe, serving lovely food and coffee, and taking care of animals in need. Well, I would anyway. Then along comes Cat Cafe Manager to make all our dreams come true while still lying on the sofa. An adorable simulation game where (you guessed it) you run a cafe filled with cats.
I'm not sure if that's a health code violation, I certainly don't want tabby hair in my cheese and pickle sandwich, but we trust they know what they're doing. You can find out more about this pawsome title in our full Cat Cafe Manager review.
Moonlighter
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
What's better than a good action game? How about an action game where you also run a shop and sell the treasures you find in dungeons? Moonlighter feels like two great games in one and manages to do both halves justice with its fantastic action and charming shop mechanics.
There's so much to do in either half of this game, and they feed into one another, as you use the treasures you find and money from selling them to get bigger and better weapons. Then it's back into an even tougher dungeon to get even better loot. Try and find a better gameplay loop, I dare you!
Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin
Handheld platforms: Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows handhelds
Part action, part rice-farming, Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin balances exciting gameplay with some chilled-out agriculture. You play as Sakuna, who must harvest rice to build up her powers, with a successful crop only adding to her many abilities.
You even attack with different farm tools, using your weapons to chain together exciting combos and slay demons. It's a game that really manages the balance well, and with two sides of the coin both so satisfying, there's a really addictive gameplay loop to get stuck into here.
Check out our full thoughts in our Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Switch review.
That's everything in our list of the best handheld simulation games. If you're on the hunt for a wider range of experiences to explore, be sure to check out our picks for the best Switch games, the best Steam Deck games, and the best mobile games overall.